Friday, July 18, 2014

CWP, 18 July 2014 A.D.
Greetings Concealed Weapons Permittees,

***** Mindset *****

My head is up and I'm looking around.

***** Training *****

Climbing, an important survival skill.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncSVUbqWGtI When I was training to climb (for someof us, climbing does not come instinctively)we were taught to climb as do the monkeys.Monkeys never pull themselves up (againstgravity) with their arms. In fact, if youwatch monkeys in the wild, you will rarelysee them bending their elbows while climbing. Their arms are straight as theyswing or pivot about their hand grip andtheir shoulders. A very efficient method.So, they never tire.

I read an article that suggested you find out about the instructor's insurance before taking a class from that instructor. The State of Tennessee requires "Handgun Training Schools" to carry $300,000of liability insurance before being able to teach the Tennessee Handgun Permit class. In addition to liability insurance, which may cover a student shooting himself or others in the class, there is also Professional Liabilityinsurance which covers the instructor being sued for something that the instructor taught the student to do. Massad Ayoob says,"Find out beforehand if your instructors will speak for you if you get in trouble for doing what they taught you to do."http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1486809 No one has ever asked me about my insurance.I carry $1,000,000 of general liability and $500,000 of professional liability insurance through the NRA Endorsed Property & Casualty Insurance Program.I also carry insurance to protect the kind people who allow us the use of their property for our classes.

***** Gear *****

Ammo prices and sources.http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/07/11/ammo-prices-07112014/ How I miss the days of yore when in the Marine Corps a SSgt. would hand me an ammo can(500 or 1000 rounds) and tell me not to hurt myself. Having to buy your own ammo in the civilian world is expensive. But, we are free to buy ammo.Happy Independence Day!

A police officer at a PPC match in SouthCarolina told me that the officers in his departmentdon't train without ear protection, because auditoryexclusion automatically blocks the sound. A friend told me that he shoots without ear protection because that is realistic training.You're not going to have time to put in ear plugsin in a gun fight. Hearing loss is permanent and cumulative.If you don't wear ear protection while live fire training, you will destroy your high frequency hearing first and eventually go deaf.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

CWP, 3 July 2014 A.D.
Greetings Concealed Weapons Permittees,

***** Training *****

"Shooting is 90% Mental" part 2 of 2http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssusa_201407/#/20Excerpt: "In fact, these studies showed that our brain's physical layout, how much space is apportioned to certain tasks and how strongly one neuronal firing is connected to another, is shaped by experience and the life we live," wrote Begley. "As Tim Conrad explained in his January, 2013,article on muzzle flip [citation below], this conscious signal can take up to 0.3 seconds fromrecognizing the desired sight picture to moving the trigger finger -- too long to capture the opportunity for a perfect shot. However, if the signal is initiated spontaneously in the cerebellum where such procedures are thought to be stored throughrepetition, the reaction speed is much quicker.Signals are processed by the 'deep brain' almost twice as fast as the problem-solving frontal lobes."

This is why Mike Maples says, when you practice think everything through. But, when in competition or combat, don't think, just attack the problem.

"Muzzle Flip and Follow Through" [citation for above]http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssusa_201301/index.php#/14Excerpt:"However, from the time the brain decides it has a good sight picture until the finger can put enoughpressure on the trigger to make this happen, is onthe order of 0.3 seconds. A lot can happen in that time."

I try to teach things, but that doesn't mean anyonelearns anything, because some people learn by reading,some by watching, some by listening, some by doing.So, I urge you to read, listen, do, ask questions, and take classes from other instructors.

May I invite your attention to the following train of logic. Persons use illegal psychotropic drugs. They claim religious freedom and appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. The SCOTUS rules against them, basically saying in the majority opinon (writen by Justice Scalia)that you can't carve out religious exemptions to federal law. Federal law has to be applied equally to everyone. Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon vs. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990). To override that SCOTUS decision, the U.S. Congress passes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which basically says that one can do any crazy stupid thing one wants to do because the government should not burden religious practices. (Why would a Democrat controlled Congress pass a religious freedom act? Remember, the Congress had been contolled for 40 years by Democrats before Gingrich lead the Republican revolutionin 1994. The answer is that politics is not about ideology, it's about revenge and punishing your political enemies.) The Democrat controlled Congress passes theAffordable Care Act (ObamaCare), which mandatesdrugs that a woman may use to abort her baby. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties appeal to the SCOTUS, arguing that ObamaCare violates their religious beliefs (they object to baby murder). The SCOTUS rules in favor of Hobby Lobby, saying in the majority opinion (written by Justice Alito )that the ObamaCare mandate violates federal law (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993). Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services,et al. v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., et al (2014).http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf The opinion is written very strangely because Justice Alito knows that the Court is setting a precedent andthat the ruling will be revisited many times.The opinion does not say that the ObamaCare mandate is unconstitutional (because the government is not establishing any religion). The opinion says that the mandate violates federal law. Okay, Staff, so what does this have to do with guns? In the United States, all you need to havea religion is a belief. So, by the SCOTUS's interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, alegal precedence has been set thatmy religious belief that I must keep and bear arms overrides any federal law burdening my religious practice, unless the Government “demonstrates that application of the burden to the person — (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”But, the 2nd Amendment establishes that the government has no compelling interest in infringing upon my right to keep and bear arms. That's why the four liberal justices said that the decision is of "startling breath". They can clearly see what's coming down the pike.

Past emails have been uploaded to the blog at DefensivePistolcraft.com.

Stupidity is an international problem,and now appears to be the policy of the Chinese police.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/shootings-rise-china-police-guns-24314825Excerpts:"Before [Chinese Police] can take aim at a suspect, police are required by law to identify themselves, issue verbal warnings and shoot into the air. If they do fire at a person, they are supposed to aim for non-vital body parts.""Officers were required to fire off six bullets within three seconds.""We stress rapid firing, as an officer must draw the gun and shoot the first bullet within 1.2 seconds, and the officer must hit the target with the first shot ..."------------------------------------------------------ As was explained in a previous email,never fire a warning shot, never shoot to wound. The commonly accepted standard in the United Statesfor presentation from the holster to the target is 1.5 seconds (for a trained individual). Think about what it means to impose a 1.2 second standard on the police recruit in training.

"Warning Shots Are Not Advised",http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/06/24/warning-shots-advised/ Never fire warning shots.You're not going to be on a multimillion dollar range that will safely catch your bullets. Any shot fired into the air will come downwith approximately equal speed on someone's head.Any shot fired into the ground will ricochet offthe concrete sidewalk, the asphalt road, or a stonein the ground. But, more importantly, it's not legally justifiable. You're engaging in brandishing,attempted felonious assault, improper discharge of a weapon, etc. If you had time to fire a warning shot, you had time to run away. Never shoot to wound. Shooting in combat is a low probability event.Shooting at an extremity is a zero probability event.Which means you're going to miss. Every miss is destroying property and injuring innocents, perhapskilling innocent bystanders. Shooting to wound is not legally justifiable. You're engaging in torture and mutilation (battery). Always shoot to the center of mass to stop the attack. Because you don't have timeto do anything else when in fear for your life.Your only concern is to stop the attack.

High speed ballistics photographyhttp://kuulapaa.com/index.htmlHigh resolution photographs, some in 3-D, no stereoscopic viewer necessary.Click on the images to see a larger version.

***** Commentary *****

Please recognize that "No Guns Allowed" postingsinfringe upon your ability to defend your inalienable rights to life, liberty, and yourpursuit of happiness. Guns are the essential tools to defend life;self-defense, defense of loved ones, defense of others. Guns are the essential tools to defend liberty;defense against revenuers, defense against abuse of power under color of law; remember Athens, Tennessee;remember the colonial British in 1775 and 1812; remember Mr. Bundy's cattle in Nevada. Guns are essential tools in the pursuit of happiness. This is an inalienable right.Don't surrender this right to the liberal mindset.

I had to take another driver safety class.(Not court ordered, just for the insurance discount.The class was for elderly drivers. I'm 55.) "Motor vehicle crashes are the number 1 cause of death for people ages 4 to 33." "In 2008, 37,261 people died on our roadways,and 1.6 million were injured." "The best way to spot potential trouble is by scanning." "On average, it takes a driver 0.75 seconds to react to an emergency." "Your peripheral vision will diminish.Compensate by looking around." "Look 10 to 12 seconds out in front of you." "Defensive driving simply means being prepared for any eventuality and remaining alert."-- American Safety Council

"No Guns Allowed" signs at businesses and government establishments deny you the use and services of public accommodations. Such prohibitions deny you the use of bathrooms.This is a form of apartheid. The right to self-defense is a God givenright (Luke 22:36, et al), recognized and enforced by the U.S. Constitution (2nd Amendment) as a Constitutional right.We were born with this right. We were born this way.

Immediate Action Drills by Dave Dolbee.http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/tap-rack-bang-action-drills/ Mr. Dolbee (and many others) teaches Tap-Rack-Bang, which is appropriate for competitions, but never for self-defense. No modern gun school teaches this.The NRA does not teach this. No police academythat I know of teaches this. In the case of a malfunction, the immediateaction is Tap-Rack-Assess. Assess means to lineup the sights on the target, take the slack outof the trigger, and assess the situation.The firing of the pistol must always be anintellectual decision, and never a trained reflex response. In our class we always tell the story of the San Francisco Police incident thatreally drove home the need to change this training. San Fran Police were in a fire fight withsuspects in a hotel hallway. A police officer has a malfunction. While clearing the malfunctiona little old lady steps out into the hallway.In the after action report, the office says hesaw the lady, but could not stop himself fromshooting her. In this high stress situation hecould not override his training. That is why we train. We don't want anything to override our training. That's why no one teaches Tap-Rack-Bang anymore.

‘Friendly Fire’ Strike Kills 5 Special Operations Soldiers in Afghanistanhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/asia/friendly-fire-strike-kills-5-special-operations-soldiers-in-afghanistan.html The U.S. Air Force Bombardier violated oursafety rule, be sure of your target and what is beyond it. When I was an artillery forward observer,we learned to call in artillery, naval gun fire (missiles now days), and close air support.The U.S. Army instructors urged us to always call Marine Corps units if possible for CAS.The Marines would fly low and make an inverted pass over the target to positively identify the target before bombing it. The Airmen would flyhigh to avoid getting shot down, because losinga plane was a career killer. So, the Airmenwould scatter their bombs all over the place;possibly on us. The U.S. Army Intelligence Specialist violated our safety rule, be sure of your target and what is beyond it. When I was an intel pog, we were anally retentive to the max when writing targeting orders, knowing that a mistake would likelykill our buddies. It is the responsibility of the personwhose finger is on the trigger to be sure of the target and what is beyond it.

In a previous email, I forwarded to you, "NRA Firearms Science: Point of Impact vs. Point of Aim".At the end of the video, the diagram is wrong for pistols. For pistols, the zero is where the trajectory crosses the line of sight the first time (where the bullet is traveling up), not the second time (where the bullet is traveling down). The authors of the video have confused a rifle trajectory with a pistol trajectory. Why is that significant, Staff? At ranges beyond the pistol's zero, the pistol's bullet will impact above the point of aim. At ranges beyond the rifle's zero,the rifle's bullet will impact below the point of aim. If you mistakenly think the bullet will impactlow on long range pistol shots, you're going to aimhigh. Combine this with the fact that the point of impact is above the point of aim, and you're guaranteed to miss the target by shooting over it.

We teach Defensive Pistol classes,as opposed to offensive pistol classes.The techniques are different. Who would use offensive techniques? A SWAT team executing a hostage rescue, an infantry fire team clearing a house. Are there occasions for civilians to useoffensive tactics? The Mexican village militias were considered vigilantes before the Mexican government officially recognized them as self-defense units in the war against the drug cartels. The militias do not "defend" the villages from the drug cartels. The members of the cartels are already in the villages.Everyone knows who they are. They operate openly. The militias attack and kill the cartel members, on thestreets and in their homes. (Many of the cartel members were police.) You don't think this can happen in the United States? It already has.That's why our U.S. Constitution forbidsthe quartering of troops in private homes.3rd Amendment U.S. Constitution. The A-21 Campaign (a Christian ministry) uses volunteers, predominantly former British SAS (Special Air Service) and U.S. Navy SEALS to rescue girls from sex slavery. But, there is a significantcivilian contingent. Brothels that use slaves, by their nature, require police protection in order to operate. So, the A-21 sometimes kill police officers. You don't think this can happen in the United States? It already has.In November 2010, U.S. Attorney Jerry Martinin Nashville announced the indictment of29 Muslim Somalis for operating a sex slave operation in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Ohio. When the A-21 noted that none of the law enforcement officers who where aidingand abetting the Somalis were indicted,A-21 offered a list of the officers to the Special Agent In Charge of the Human Trafficking department of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The Special Agent immediately stopped all communicationwith A-21 and refused to meet with the A-21 representative. Thank God the firearms training industry is unregulated. Otherwise, no professional school would risk training those who might be consideredvigilantes or cop killers. U.S. Federal law prohibits the militaryfrom training civilians. Thank God there are no laws prohibiting the civilians from training the military. I have seen many U.S. Marine Corps units training at Front Sight. I have seen orders fromthe Special Operations Command in Tampa, FL for units to train at civilian schools around the country. Why? Because the military is a hugebureaucracy, and bureaucracies are slowto adopt the best practices. Because bureaucracies are slow at everything. In 1981, when I went through recruit training, we were not taught to keep our trigger finger in the register position. Thank God training is improving.

***** Training *****

I gave a lecture on self-defense.A person in the audience, "John Doe", said that in the event of an attack, he would, "shoot the assailant in the knee cap."The meaning was that he would not kill the assailant. I attempted toexplain to John that shooting in a high stress situation has a low probabilityof hitting anything. So, he should always aim to the center of mass of whatever the target is (in this case the thoracic cavity). Because that gavethe highest probability of getting a hit. Shooting to wound may not be legally justifiable. (depending on the state laws) Shooting at a small target such as a knee cap is a low probability event.Every miss is injuring innocent bystanders and destroying property. John responded by saying that he "never missed". So, I attemptedto explain that never missing on the indoor air conditioned range with stationarytargets is not the same as shooting a threatening (perhaps attacking) moving targetwhile moving yourself, while being jostled (if not stabbed or punched),while bystanders are moving in panic in theimmediate vicinity whom you are attemptingto avoid shooting. (As Tactical Responseteaches, there will probably be more peopleyou don't want to shoot than people you do want to shoot in any lethal force confrontation.) All my explanation would have been for nought if a cute little old (disabled) lady had not agreed with meand assured John that I was tellingthe truth.

He said (I paraphrase heavily):
There are three categories of confrontations: Martial Arts - which is a game that you play with an opponent and has well defined rules. (No eye gouging, no biting, no breaking bones, etc.) Under these rules, if you go up against a better trainedmore experience opponent, you will probably lose.So, you would not bet on yourself unless you were given extrodinary odds. Fighting - which is combat between two persons who have invested their ego in the outcome, and there are no rules. If you were smart, you wouldrun away or decline to fight, because you run the risk of serious injury or death when you fight.But, because you have stupidly invested your ego,you engage.If you fight a better trained more experienced opponent, you will probably lose. So, you would not bet on yourself even if you were given extrodinary odds. Self Defense - which is to incapacitate the enemyimmediately and leave. There are no rules. You must win because your life is invaluable and your loved ones are depending on you. You always bet on yourself. [ Editor: What does it mean to bet on yourself?You invest your time, money, and effort in yourself,by investing in lessons from experts and investing time practicing. You're putting your money on you. Life insurance, ransom insurance, self-defense insurance are all bets against yourself. You may feel that they are necessary or a responsible thingto do. It's just important that you understand theconcept.]

Action takes about 0.5 seconds. That is the timefrom when a person decides to initiate an action to the beginning of the movement of the action. Reaction takes about 2.5 seconds. That's the time from when a person perceives a threat to when that person takes action against it. So, if you immediately attack, your action willbeat the enemy's reaction to your attack.You may beat him by even more than 2.5 seconds because criminals do not expect their intended victims to attack them. Criminals choose victimsthat they think will submit and not put up anyresistance. So, in a self-defense situation, immediately attack. Don't talk, don't negotiate. Attack until the enemy is incapacitated and leave.

Three considerations in self-defense:1. Escape.2. You're going to get hurt (cut, shot, etc.).3. Never give up. Escape is always good, because you can't get hurt if you're not there. But, you may be disabled.You may have to protect someone else. So, then youneed to immediately shift into self-defense mode.You're not going to fight. You're going to stop the attack immediately and leave. The criminal uses fear of injury to control (terrorize) the victim. By accepting that you aregoing to get injured, maimed, etc. you take that tool away from the criminal. You don't worry aboutgetting hurt. You don't do things to avoid gettinghurt. Because it's a foregone conclusion that youare going to get hurt. Statistically speaking, realistically speaking,there is no up side to surrendering or submittingto the attacker. You think you're only going to get raped? If you submit, you'll get raped, beaten,mutilated, and maybe murdered (statistiaclly speaking).Sociopaths don't have any compassion or mercy.Sociopaths are not like us. They are not misunderstood good people. They are evil, and as a rabid dog, must be put down. Otherwise, they will put you down. Besides, you would be doing the assailant's next victim a grave disservice. Statistically, any stranger who attacks you has a long criminal record. (Official or not, some criminals are smart enough to avoid conviction.)
[end of paraphrase of excerpt of Cat's clinic]My apologies to Cat, but it was hard to take notes during the clinic, and my memory distorts things.So, all errors of addition, omission, and distortionare mine.

***** Mindset *****

There is a movie, "Spartan", with Val Kilmer.In it a junior Marine instructor tells a Master Gunnery Sergeant: Sir, I teach edged weapons, knife fighting.To which the MGSgt. replies: Teach your Marines to kill. So, that while the enemy is fighting, yourMarines are killing them.[I was going to use a memory from boot camp,but it was too vulgar. So, I cite a Hollywood movie.] Techniques for killing are entirely different from techniques for fighting. As Bruce Lee said: Real fights are short.His comparison was to the silly Hollywood movie and TV fights. The best self-defense techniques allow you to kill quickly, so as to allow you to leave as soon as possible. The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get. As General Colin Powell said, "I'm not looking for a fair fight. This is not a boxing match." The General's mission was to destroy the enemy as quickly as possible so as to minimize friendly casualties. In self-defense, that is your mission.

***** Commentary *****

Self-Defense Programs in Martial Arts Schools Have to ChangeRedefining Crime: Why We Are Failing Our Self Defense and Martial Arts
Students By Lissette Fitzgeraldhttp://ksamartialacademy.com/2014/05/change-self-defense/ This is an illuminating first personaccount by an expert in self-defense and martial arts.

Pray. Pray for vigilance. So, you will have knowledge of the event before the event occurs. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Pray for courage to defeat fear and panic. Pray for calm to defeat stress. The most powerful mindset is justifiedtrue belief, epistemology.

Do you wear your seatbelts when driving? Why? Do you intend to crash into something? Are you itching to get into a collision? Do you keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? Why? Do you intend to start a fire? Do you think someone is trying to burn your house down? Do you carry a gun? Why? Because there are persons and animals, some criminal, some stupid, some smart, who will cause you problems that you will be forced to solve.

***** Reality of Concealed Carry *****

Video: Waffle House Burglar Shot, Killed by Concealed Carry Permit Holderhttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/05/05/Video-Waffle-House-Robber-Shot-Killed-By-Concealed-Carry-Permit-Holder Keep your mouth shut. Talk to your attorney first. Your attorneywill advise you as to what to say to thepolice or prosecutor, if anything at all.Do not give television interviews, even if you are a hero. The enemy will twist yourwords, label you a racist, and sue you. They can't call me a racist, I'm notcaucasian. George Zimmerman was not caucasian.The liberal media had to coined a new termto brand him a "white hispanic", in an effort to gin up racial hatred. But, he wasn't white. His father was Jewish. His mother was Venesuelan. Don't deceive yourself. Selling advertisements on enemy media outlets overrides truth every time.

***** Training *****

What I learned at Tactical Response:
When doing your 360 degree scan, look for good guys, bad guys, and places to go (coverand concealment). Don't leave guns in your car if youhave NRA bumper stickers. In high stress situations when you get the adrenaline dump, you won't be ableto dial your phone. You're going to losefine motor control. Blood pressure may top 200. Plan accordingly. Alertness. Keep your head up and look around. Surprise the enemy. Do the unexpected.FIGHT! Your life will not flash before youreyes. Your regrets will: God, your will (the legal document)or lack thereof, your living will or lackthereof, your life insurance or lack thereof. Your responsibilities will: spouse, children, mission, etc. So, get your life in order and make peace with your God, so you can concentrate on the fight without distraction. Don't hesistate to order the potentialthreat to leave you alone in a loud firm voice. Predators don't like the attentionthis draws. Not being shot is more important thanshooting the bad guy. It's not the great shot that wins the fight; it is all the little mistakes that you don't make. Amateurs practice untilthey get it right. Professionals train until they can't get it wrong. Masters never stop training. Nearly every gunfight will have more people you don't want to shoot than peopleyou do want to shoot. The faster you finish the fight,the less you will get shot. 87% of police murdered in the line of duty failed to draw their gun. Citizens are only forced to shoot would-be attackers one out of thirty times. Do not ask anyone to call 911 on yourbehalf. Make the call yourself.I Phones and smart phones don't hang up until the dispatcher releases the call.Even if you hang up, they are still recording you. Get insurance, for instance,Armed Citizen's Legal Defense Networkwww.ArmedCitizensNetwork.org/NRA Self Defense Planwww.NRAendorsedinsurance.com/ Hick’s Law: Reaction time increases with the number of choices. Citation: Hick, W. E. (1952), “On the Rate of Gain of Information”, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol. 4, p11-26. So, always wear your equipment in the same place. Always execute immediate action when the gun doesn’t go bang. It will be obvious when something else needs to be done. Always shoot to the center of mass of whatever the target is. The fewer decisions you make, the faster you go. The fewer things you have to choose from, the faster you go.

When I was studying physics in academia,Prof. Christ asked us for the correct statement as to the speed of light. "Nothing can travel faster than light."False. You can shoot electrons through a quartzcrystal at 0.99 times the speed of light in a vacuum, c.While light travels through the quartz crystal at about 0.6 c. Quartz has a high index of refraction,so the light is moving slow. The electrons are moving faster than the light. "Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum." False. Imagine you're onthe Earth shining a laser on the Moon. Move the laser ever so slightly, ever so slowly, and the spot of light on the Moon easily moves across thesurface of the Moon at greater than c. "Information cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum." That's about all you can say within the Theory of Relativity if you want to avoid causality problems. It takes a bit of thought, experiment, andexperience to get it right. It's not obvious. Similarly, at Front Sight they say that in combat you will be half as good as you are on your best day on the range. Other schools say, in combat you will revert to your training.I think Tactical Response is closer to the truth when they say,You will NOT rise to the occasion.You will NOT default to your level of training.You will only default to the level of training that you have MASTERED.
It takes 2000 repetitions to engrain muscle memory. It takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to reach a level of mastery. That's how long it takes the average world class athlete or concert musician. That' how longthe Beatles took.

I took the Fighting Pistol class at TacticalResponse in Camden, TN on April 26-27, 2014 A.D.I learned the Stanford Scan,while maintaining the two handed grip, bend the elbows androtate from the shoulders to bring the pistol in close to theside of your head (so no one can take the pistol from you)with the pistol pointing up (so the pistol is not pointing atanyone while you rotate 360 azimuthal degrees). Look around, completely around yourself. This differs from the Sul (Portugese, south) position scanthat I had learned in military police training in 2002 A.D. andin NRA police training. Where we point the pistol down whileholding it in close to our chest. The standard Sul positionhas the support side hand against the chest with the pistoland firing side hand on top. The retention Sul position hasthe support side hand on top of the pistol and firing side hand. The Stanford Scan is better because the good guymaintains the proper two handed grip. Which allows amore reliable and faster presentation to the target. I learned lots of good stuff. I hightly recommendthis class.

Practice is not necessarily live fire.Dry practice works. Visualization works.(Ask any world class athlete.)As Dr. Ignatius Piazza says, live fire is only needed to verify what you have learned in dry practice.
The one thing all world class atheletes have in common is that they keep a highly detailed journal. This recording of empirical data transforms the recreational sport into a scientific experiment. Thus allowing you to apply the scientific method to force improvement in performance. The scientific method is hypothesis -> experiment -> theory -> hypothesis -> experiment -> theoryad infinitum.
When you go to a coaches class at an Olympic Training Center, you pick up nugets of wisdom.
How do you maintain balance? What prevents you from falling over? Predominantly, it's visual cuing. You seehorizon lines, vertical lines where walls meet, etc. In a high stress situation, we lose peripheral vision.When we close our non-aiming eye to eliminate double images(to ensure we are aiming at what we think we're aim at) we lose stereoscopic vision. So, we've lost most of our visual cues. That means that in such situations we rely on our inner ear for balance. What can I do to improve my inner ear balance? Stand up, feet together, arms out stretched to your sides,up on the balls of your feet and your toes, twisting your body, rotate all the way to your right, back to center,rotate all the way to your left, back to center. Fell over a few times? With practice you won't. When you can do itwithout falling, do it with your eyes closed. That's the exercise. Stand on one leg, holding the other out off the ground,deep knee bend all the way down, then all the way back up.Fell over? With practice you won't. When you can do it without falling, do it with your eyes closed. That's the exercise. Closing your eyes eliminates visual cuing, forcingyou to exercise your inner ear balance.

***** Gear *****

Costa Ludus on night sights.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rmVOkKJ0brIExcerpt: (paraphrase)"Use a different color front sight. So, you don't lineup the three dots with the front sight to the left or right, as opposed to the center."[end of excerpt]
Having the sights that far out of alignment wouldfeel awkward. I could tell. Maybe on a square range in calm conditions. But,he's talking about when the adrenaline is pumping in high stress conditions.

Ammo prices.http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/04/18/ammo-prices-4182014/The spread sheet on this web page is apparentlyupdated continuously as prices and supply changes.I bought 1000 rounds of Wolf .45 ACP ammo for 36 centsper round from Target Sports USA. This was factory new Russian ammunition, steel caes, Berdan primed, so not reloadable, but cheap. I received it 6 days after ordering it, including a weekend.The ammo was manufactured in February 2014.

***** News (as opposed to propaganda) *****

When Seconds Counthttp://blog.robballen.com/Post/17499/when-seconds-countExcerpt: This isn’t a “If she only had a gun!” moment because apparently there WAS a gun in the household and for whatever reason, she didn’t have control of it. It’s simply to point out that cops do not have teleporters and cannot necessarily come to your rescue as fast as you need them to. You need to be your own first responder. [end of excerpt]
I whole heartedly agree. That's why you need to haverecently taken a first aid class. That why you need to have recently taken a water safety / life saving class.That's why you need to have recently taken a firearms class.I know you have recently cleaned your gun.
Guns don't save people. People save people.

"The object of teaching a student is to enable the student to get along without his teacher."-- Elbert Hubbard

Optimized Use of Cover by John Holschen.http://www.gunsandtactics.com/optimized-use-of-cover-tactical-moment-8Excerpt: You don't win gun fights by shooting the other guy.You win gun fights by not getting shot.[end of excerpt]
In past decades, before TV and politics destroyed the sport of fencing, fencing was scored by touches received,as opposed to touches made on your opponent. Becausenot getting stabbed and bleeding to death was in fact to win. The single touch bout in epee was common, because real duels usually ended with the drawing of first blood. Because in past times blood loss or infection would lead to death.
Excerpt: (paraphrase)The shooting games teach you to shoot for the center of mass by rewarding you with points or time.But in the real world, if you can shoot the assailant in the hand, foot, arm, or leg without exposing yourself that might be sufficient to cause him to run away. Which is a big win for you.[end of excerpt]

"I am always ready to learnalthough I do not always like being taught."-- Winston Churchill

James Yeager of Tactical Response says the shooter should keep his head up and look around while holstering, because you need to maintain situational awareness. I disagree. Statistically speaking, holsteringis the most dangerous part of any shooting class.So, you have to watch what you're doing to ensurethat nothing gets caught in your holster. Because,as we saw in a video in a previous email, gettinga jacket draw string caught between your pistol andyour holster can result in a negligent discharge. You should not be holstering in the first place unless you have determined that the situationis copasetic. Holstering should be slow and careful, watchingwhat you're doing. No awards for speed holstering.

***** Pedagogy *****

Attitude of the lecturer -- When you read to your children as babies, there isno interruption: no questions, no discussion. As your children get older, the books that theywish you to read to them change and the level of interaction changes. They ask questions and want todiscuss the reading; and it is your duty to explain"the beast with two backs" [Shakespeare's "Othelo"]no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it makes you.(If you are not willing or able to explain in clear simple terms, you should not be giving the lecture.) So, the attitude of the lecturer should be story time for adults with interruptions gladly entertained, questions welcome and always answeredresponsively (there is nothing worse than to have a judge rule your answer non-responsive), and discussion appreciated. Don't let the discussion wander to far.It is your duty to keep the discussion focused ontopic. It is important to read the lecture from a script, not to speak extemporaneously. This preventserrors and interjection of the speaker's opinion as opposed to the author's opinion. This is a matter of integrity and consistency.

Remington is recalling Model 700 and Model Seven rifles with X-Mark Pro (“XMP”) triggers manufactured from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014.http://xmprecall.remington.com/

I have attached the latest version of our lesson plans for our Defensive Pistol class that we use inour NRA Defensive Pistol course. We no longer teach the low ready position, insteadpreferring only the compressed ready position. So, thatthe shooter is pushing the pistol straight forward to shoot and pulling straight back to her chest into a close contact position when not shooting. We are teaching a retention Sul position when scanning (rotating 360 azmuthal degrees while view verticalstrips from your feet to your zenith). Pistol pointed down at the ground at a point about 2 or 3 feet in front of your feet. Both hands over the pistol held to your chest. As always, corrections, suggestions, and comments are greatly appreciated.

Jeff Cooper's CommentariesVol. 1, No. 6, 2 September 1993Excerpt:I have often preached that the proper antidote to fear is anger, and I see no reason to change my opinion on this. However, there is another mental condition that serves as well or possibly better, and that is concentration. I have discussed this matter at great length with people who are in a position to know, and I am not without experience of my own, and I can state positively that when you find yourself facing deadly danger, your ability to concentrate every mental faculty upon doing what needs to be done to save yourself leaves no room for fear. If it happens that return fire is the best solution to your danger, you are fortunate, because if you have organized yourself properly your total preoccupation with your front sight and trigger control will have become automatic; and therefore you cannot fear your enemy's bullet since you are simply too busy concentrating on hitting him. I think this truth is incontrovertible, but we certainly see that large numbers of people who get involved in street fights, on either side of the law, have never heard of it.

Shoshone refrain:Over here, over there, everywhere, today, tomorrow, always:Bad men there are.Hate you they do.Kill you they will.Watch out you better!

***** Training *****

James Yeager of Tactical Responsehttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC6EFC9BB68FC497C(a series of videos)Excerpts: (I paraphrase and any errors are mine. -- Jonathan Low)
In order of importance:Mindset.Tactics.Skill.Equipment. Spend your time, money, and effort on the most important things first.
Don't install an extended magazine release.I hear people saying, I need an extended mag release because I can't reach the mag release without moving my hand around the pistol. Well, if you could reach the mag release while shooting the pistol, you'd be ejecting the magazine during firing. The pistol is designed correctly to prevent you from doing that.
Keep your magazines loaded. (They are useless when unloaded.) If you know anything about modern metallurgy, you know that you won't hurt the springsby keeping your magazines loaded. Compression and stretching of the spring withinits elastic limits weakens the spring through the action of work hardening. But, compressing the springs without movement, as in the case of a loaded magazine in storage, causes no work hardening. Loading your magazines to capacity is well within the elastic limits of the springs. So, the springs will not deform. [Yeager's explanation was a bit simpler, but I am sure this is what he meant.]
Practice saying "STOP!" as part of your presentation.Because, you will do in combat what you have practiced.If you don't practice saying "STOP!", you may say something stupid, like "Die motherfucker!", which won't play well with any jury.
[end of excerpts]

Racking your pistol by Tom McHale.http://blog.beretta.com/how-to-rack-your-handgun-slide-like-a-boss To share with your friends who may be havingdifficulty racking their slides. One must be tactful. At a Bible study, I showed a lady how to rack her slide. She had had difficulty for years.Now that she could do it by herself she was a littleirritated with her husband for never teaching her the correct technique. Of course, it wasn't his fault, for he had never learned how to rack a slide properly. Go out and teach, for ignorance runs rampant.

***** Pedagogy *****

To be a better instructor/coach, I took a First Aid class. One of the things we learned was how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). I learned that what you see in the movies and TV is false.Defibrillators will not start a stopped heart (asystole).Heart rhythms:Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR), the heart is working normally.Ventricular Tachycardia (VT), a very fast heart beat,use the defibrillator, it might restore NSR.Ventricular Fibrillation (VF), a chaotic heart beat,use the defibrillator, it might restore NSR. What's the point, Staff? The point is that what I knew was false. I had a superstition. Over the years there were many doctors in my classes who knew the truth, but never told me.The topic never came up in conversation. About half of the NRA Defensive Pistol class that we teach is lecture/discussion/questions. It has to be,because ignorance runs rampant in our society. You can't dispel superstitions until you find them. You won't find the superstitions unless you ask questions and cause your students to make statements and ask questions. If you aren't surprised several times during the class by what a student believes, you aren't eliciting.
"It's better to be wrong than to be vague."-- Freeman Dyson Because, if the student is wrong, we can correct him. But, if the student is vague, no one can help him.

Another thing we learned at the First Aid classwas that in an incident (person collapses, car crash, explosion, what have you) 80% of the trained first responders will freeze. Some one in the other 20% has to give them orders, tell them what to do, get them moving. Clearly that 20% wouldinclude the experience personnel who have done thisbefore and are inoculated to the trauma and stress.But, most of moving yourself from the 80% to the 20% is mindset and training. You have to know what to do, otherwise there is no motivation to do anything.You have to be willing to put yourself at risk.It's easier and more comfortable to stand back andhide in the crowd. We were taught that the first thing you do is to use all your senses to determineif the situation is safe to render aid. It doesn'thelp anyone if you get yourself injured or killed in the rescue attempt. Of course, a lot of the 80% will be children who have just finished a First Aid/Life Saving/Water Safety class (when you're as old as me, allthese young adults look like children) and are experiencing a disaster for the first time. But, having witnessed such children in Marine Corps Recruit Training, I would bet that mindset and training overcomes youth and inexperience every time.

"Competition and the Tactical World" by Arik Levy http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=6175Excerpt:Competition is more than stress inoculation. It’s refining the mind to slow down and work the problem while the body is busy doing something else.

"Competition Vs. The Tactical World part Tres…"by Arik Levyhttp://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=6790Excerpt: “You won’t see your sights in a gunfight…” I hear that a lot as well. I’m going out on a limb but I think the people who didn’t see their sights during their shooting, had never trained to use their sights anyway. In my position, I’m lucky and honored to speak with officers who’ve been in gunfights and I get to train with some of elite instructors who’ve worked defending our country over seas. They all say the same thing. “I saw my sights every time…”

Jeff Cooper's CommentariesVol. 1, No. 3, 1 July 1993"The recent marketing attempts to sell laser pointers for pistols should be viewed askance. We tested such devices here at the Ranch some years ago when they were much more expensive than they are now, and we discovered that the principle disadvantage of the laser is that it is slow. When you present a pistol properly and pick up the flash sight-picture, you do it in one smooth stroke. When, on the other hand, you present a laser-equipped pistol you must hunt around for that orange dot on the target, which takes more time than the acquisition of the flash sight picture. The time increment between the two systems is admittedly slight, but one wonders why one should install an expensive gadget in order to create a slight disadvantage." Used with permission, because Col. Cooper said,'Please feel free to paraphrase and disseminate anything that you may read in this paper. I am a teacher, not a salesman, and it is my pleasure to see my teachings spread far and wide. "Die Gedanken sind frei!" '

In our last NRA Defensive Pistol class, the studentswere initially wiggling their pistols around to avoid shooting through their concealment garments when firingfrom the close contact position with one hand. This wastes time and is dangerous. This bad habit must be broken by correct training. We require that the students bring a disposable concealment garment for use during this exercise. Have them stop by Goodwill and pick up an over sized Alohashirt. If the student neglects to bring such a shirt,we give the student such a shirt to use, because formingbad habits is antithetic to our training. If done properly, a fast competent presentation from the holster to the close contact position with onehand will result in shooting through the closed front concealment garment, and may result in a shot through an open front concealment garment. The student must not use their support side handto clear the garment, because this runs the risk of shooting their support side hand. Explain to the student that this is realistic training. No mugger is going start his attack from across the parking lot. He will be within touchingdistance before giving any sign of hostility. So, you must be competent to shoot from close contact.

Springfield Armory XD-S in 9mm and .45 ACPhttp://www.springfieldrecall.com/TechnicalBackground.aspThe statistically insignificant sampling of people who own this pistol and that have spoken to me about this pistol have reported malfunctions and the difficulty of using this pistol becauseit is too small to handle.

Hi Jon-I recently picked up a Ruger Bearcat which is a smaller frame single action .22 caliber to teach my kids how to shoot a pistol. Both kids are right handed. Should I teach them to cock the hammer with their left hand thumb, keeping a solid grip on the pistol with their right hand? Of course, trigger finger in the register position. Jeff

Hi Jeff, Yes, you are correct. In the "modern technique" as taughtby Jeff Cooper, one maintains the firing hand grip from beforethe handgun is removed from the holster to after the handgunis holstered. So, cocking the hammer would be done with thesupport side thumb. (As cocking with the firing sidethumb would cause the shooter to lose the proper grip.) Such single action revolvers should never be fanned(Holding the trigger to the rear with the trigger finger,while cocking and releasing the hammer with the supportside palm.) as these pistols are not designed for fanning.I only mention it because your kids may have seen thecowboys in the old western movies do it. When I mentioned this to a student once, he thoughtI said "fam fire" (as opposed to "fan fire"),which in the military refers to"familiarization fire", to familiarize the soldier withthe weapons system, as opposed to a full of course ofinstruction. Familiarization fire of all weapons systems is good.Fan firing a single action revolver is not recommended.Cheers,Jon

Malfunction -- This past Sunday, 3/16/14, I had a malfunctionwith my model 1911, Kimber Pro Carry, and Wilson Combat magazines, that I had never heard of before.The magazine went too far up the magazine well. Context: upon running out of ammo, I ejected the emptymagazine. The slide was locked to the rear. I inserted a new magazine and racked the slide. The symptom was dead trigger, no click, no bang.The slide was to the rear. I applied immediate action: Tap, Rack, Point.The slide would not rack. I locked the slide to the rear and attempted to strip the magazine out. The magazine would not eject by itself.I could not pull the magazine out. At this point the Safety Officer, John Scott, who hadseen this malfunction before, told me that my magazine was too far up the magazine well and that I needed to push itout. I inserted my support side thumb in through the ejection port and pushed the magazine out of the pistol.The magazine had gone too far up the magazine well. Once the magazine was out, I loaded and continued the course of fire. I have not been able to replicate the malfunction.With the slide locked back,no matter how hard I hit the magazine, I can't get them to go too far into the mag well. So, I can't figure outhow I caused the malfunction. You all got any suggestions?

Watch the draw strings of your jacket when holstering.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrJMQupYxawCarefully, gently holster. Watch what you're doing to ensure nothing is getting caught in your holster or gun.We use holsters that stay open (a leather holster will have a reinforced mouth) so that we can holster with onehand, not so that we can holster without looking. We always look at what we are doing when we holster.You would only holster when you are sure there is no threat. So, you can look at your holster when you are holstering. The Police Chief shot himself because he was complacent. I write these emails to cause my students to think, with the hope that such thought prevents complacency. A pistol with a grip safety or a thumb safety would not have fired when the trigger was pulled
by the draw string in this scenario.

***** Equipment Review *****

I bought an Alien Gear holster. Wore it a few days,and used it in an IDPA match.http://aliengearholsters.com/$29.88 right handed holster for 1911 Pro Models with 4" barrel. 6.95 shipping and handling 36.83 totalMade in America.I was very impressed with the quality of materials, craftsmanship, and design. I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of spare parts included to allow for adjustment. The cant and height relative to your belt are adjustable.The tightness of the holster on the pistol is adjustable,though your belt tension is the dominant factor.I spent a bit of time tinkering, as there are a lot of adjustments you can make. You can tuck your shirt in over the pistol and holster. I had to cut a bit of the plastic to allow the middlefinger of my firing side hand to achieve a proper grip onthe pistol while the pistol is in the holster. The plasticwas hitting my middle finger. I had to cut a bit of the plastic to allow my pistol,a Kimber Pro Carry, to fit in the holster. The plastic hitmy grip stock. The plastic had obviously been molded togo around the grip stock, but it wasn't enough. I hadto cut the plastic to get the pistol to go all the way intothe holster. The plastic is not hard. With a sharp knife you can whittle it as you would a piece of wood. If you can't whittle, you can use a soldering iron to melt and shape the plastic, or a Dremel Fortiflex tool to grind away the unwanted plastic. 30 day money back guarantee. You can trade the plastic shell for one to fit a different gun. Free replacement or repair if anything breaks. At least that's the claim. I recommend this product.
Another review,http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1522410